The Stone Inside

Lexile: 870 | Grade: 6

Passage

They say I’m quiet, like a stream,

Soft-spoken, slow, a fading dream.

But streams carve stone with patient grace,

They shape the earth, they shift the place.

They say I’m small, a passing breeze,

Too light to matter, quick to please.

But breezes stir the tallest trees,

And whisper change across the seas.

They say I’m kind, too much, too fast,

Like kindness makes a person last.

But kindness grows where hate can’t stay—

A stubborn root, a brighter way.

So if I’m quiet, small, or kind,

Don’t think there’s nothing strong to find.

Inside my chest, a stone I keep—

Not cold—but calm, and firm, and deep.

Questions

Q1: What is the speaker’s main message in the poem?

  • A. That nature is always stronger than people.
  • B. That being quiet or kind doesn’t mean being weak.
  • C. That change always comes quickly.
  • D. That silence means someone is hiding something.

Q2: Which lines contain a metaphor for emotional strength?

  • A. 'Soft-spoken, slow, a fading dream.'
  • B. 'Inside my chest, a stone I keep— / Not cold—but calm, and firm, and deep.'
  • C. 'Like kindness makes a person last.'
  • D. 'They shape the earth, they shift the place.'

Q3: What literary device is used in the line: 'But breezes stir the tallest trees'?

  • A. Simile
  • B. Onomatopoeia
  • C. Hyperbole
  • D. Personification

Q4: How does the poet use structure to develop the speaker’s argument?

  • A. By repeating negative thoughts to show frustration
  • B. By using short rhyming stanzas to contrast how others see the speaker with how the speaker sees themselves
  • C. By describing a series of natural disasters in each stanza
  • D. By ending each stanza with a question for the reader

Q5: Which abstract concept is most clearly represented by 'the stone' in the final stanza?

  • A. Anger
  • B. Silence
  • C. Confidence and inner resilience
  • D. Sadness and grief

Printable Comprehension Practice

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Answers & Reasoning

Q1: What is the speaker’s main message in the poem?

✅ Correct Answer: B

💡 Reasoning: The speaker compares quietness, smallness, and kindness to powerful natural forces, showing they are forms of strength.

Q2: Which lines contain a metaphor for emotional strength?

✅ Correct Answer: B

💡 Reasoning: The 'stone' inside the speaker represents inner strength—solid, calm, and resilient, not weakness.

Q3: What literary device is used in the line: 'But breezes stir the tallest trees'?

✅ Correct Answer: D

💡 Reasoning: The breeze is described as having the power to 'stir' trees, giving it human-like action (personification).

Q4: How does the poet use structure to develop the speaker’s argument?

✅ Correct Answer: B

💡 Reasoning: Each stanza begins with how others view the speaker and ends with a comparison that reveals their hidden strength.

Q5: Which abstract concept is most clearly represented by 'the stone' in the final stanza?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: The stone is described as calm, firm, and deep—qualities that symbolize emotional strength and inner confidence.